Expanding Higher Education Opportunities at East Sussex College

East Sussex College Group has been exploring new opportunities for their Higher Education offering and have nurtured an excellent relationship with the University of East Anglia (rated in the top 25 of UK universities).

New degree programmes at Hastings, Eastbourne and Lewes are now being written, updated and validated, providing students with highly sought after, internationally recognised awards. The updated programme running in Hastings from September 2024, includes:

• BSc (Hons) Integrated Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
• BA (Hons) Business Management
• BA (Hons) Designer Maker
• BA (Hons) Fine Art
• BA (Hons) Early Years Care and Education
• BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration
• BA (Hons) Photography and Moving Image

Staff within the Hastings campus have been meeting with industry specialists, local businesses, their students, and academics to design and produce their own degree programmes.

“It means we are delivering qualifications and skills that our local business community want, building stronger employability options for our students and raising the aspirations of the local area.”

The courses go through a rigorous validation procedure with the University of East Anglia, to meet their exacting and very high standards and the results so far have been very promising. The college has received excellent feedback from UEA;

“The enthusiasm, knowledge, and experience of the course team and the extensive support offered to students has to be noted.”

“The opportunities embedded in the course for students to develop their employability skills, both internally and externally are clearly evident.”

The College prides themselves on the calibre of highly trained and skilled staff they employ on their University Courses, recognising the importance of the relevant and up to date industry experience tutors have. It is so important to the college that students realise their own potential and understand that they can successfully complete degrees and go on into their choice of careers.

Student experience is also at the top of the agenda, courses are run in small groups, and most are offered on both a full-time and part-time basis, designed around students and employers needs, including weekends, evenings, and condensed weeks where possible. The courses offer great value for money compared to other universities however students can still access full student finance packages which removes the barriers to learning.

Offering university level courses locally means that local residents can access high quality training and development on their doorstep, reducing the costs involved, allowing those with commitments, existing careers and local ties to achieve their potential.

The College draws a range of students onto their courses, both those continuing on in education from local schools and colleges to more mature students, coming back into education to expand their opportunities, validating experience or to gain work funded professional development.

The National Student Survey also recognises the advantages of ESC’s courses, with overall student satisfaction ratings 10% above the national average for university courses (NSS Results 2023).

Would you like to find out more about these opportunities? Potential students, parents and employers are invited to get in touch with the Higher Education team, either through the website or by emailing HelloHE@escg.ac.uk.

Applications for courses starting in September 2024 are now open.